Wire wrapping tool



March 29, 1966 D. R. SILER WIRE WRAPPING TOOL Filed Nov. '7, 1963 INVENTOR DGVld Robert Siler United States Patent Ofilice 3,242,661 Patented Mar. 29, 1966 3,242,661 WIRE WRAPPING TOOL David R. Siler, Adrian, Mich, assignor to American Chain 8; Cable Company, Inc., New York, N.Y., a corporation of New York Filed Nov. 7, 1963, Ser. No. 322,245 Claims. (Cl. 57-18) This invention relates to tools for wrapping wire and in particular to a tool to be used in the field for wrapping lengths of cable with flat armor wire.

While it has many applications which will become apparent hereinafter, a primary object of the present invention is the provision of a light hand tool for wrapping flat armor wire helically about lengths of aircraft target tow cable. To accommodate the increased tension in a tow cable from the target up to the end anchored at the towing aircraft, lengths of cable of difierent diam eter are spliced together end-to-end. These splices must oftentimes be formed in the field and special techniques have been developed for making them which involve no more additional elements than a wrapping of flat armor wire. Such procedures do not in themselves have per tinence to the present invention and therefore it sufiices here to note only that they involve wrapping a fiat armor wire tightly about a length of stranded cable. The new wrapping tool is designed for use in making such a splice.

Broadly stated, the new tool for wrapping wire about an elongated object comprises a body member having a seat against which the elongated object may be disposed to prevent lateral displacement in at least one direction and to allow rotation of the elongated object relative to the body member. A supply of the wire is provided which is movable together with the body member. Guide means are included on the body member for directing the wire at an angle tangentially onto the elongated object from that direction in which lateral displacement of the elongated object is prevented by the seat. As the body member is rotated around the elongated object, the wire is drawn from the supply thereof and is wrapped helically about the elongated object.

In one compact device the new tool provides all that is required for tightly wrapping fiat armor wire about a stranded cable. Once the cable is properly located on the body member seat, the body member need only be revolved manually about the cable and the wire is applied helically onto the cable as desired. There are various refinements of the structure which will be described in detail below having as their purpose the control of tightness and pitch in the applied wire wrapping, but with or without these auxiliary features the new tool efiectively meets a very practical need.

A preferred embodiment of the invention is described hereinbelow with reference to the accompanying drawing, wherein FIG. 1 is an elevation of the new tool operatively mounted on a length of cable;

FIG. 2 is a section taken along the line 22 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a section taken along the line 33 of FIG. 1; and

FIG. 4 is an enlarged fragmentary section taken along the line 4-4 of FIG. 3.

In this embodiment of the new tool, a length of stranded wire cable is to be wrapped about with tight spaced turns 11 of a flat armor wire 12. The cable 10 is shown in FIG. 1 as one piece of constant diameter, but it is to be understood that the turns 11 of wire 12 may be applied continuously to two cables of different diameter which are spliced together end-to-end. Several feet of such abutting cables may be wrapped about with fiat armor wire in forming the splices mentioned previously, and that portion of the cable 10 shown in FIG.

1 may be taken to be one part of its length removed from the abutting ends in the splice.

The tool includes a body member 13 which is substantially cylindrical in shape and may be made of hard plastic material such as nylon. Along the length of the cylindrical body member 13 is formed a flat or groove 14 in which a steel seat block 15 is anchored by means of a screw 16 in a lengthwise position. Throughout the length of the seat block 15 is a longitudinal open-ended groove 18 having a cross section of a parallelogram large enough to receive the cable 10. It is intended that the body member 13 be located alongside the cable 10 such that the cable 10 is disposed in the groove 18 against one wall 19 thereof. Thus the groove, and particularly its wall 19, prevents substantial lateral displacement of the cable 10 with respect to the body member 13. In that position, the body member 13 is rotatable about the axis of the cable 10 since the groove 18 is appreciably larger than the cable.

A supply of the wire 12 to be wrapped about the cable 10 must be movable together with the body member 13 when the tool is operated, and to this end it is particularly advantageous to provide a helical openturned supply coil 20 of the wire 12 which can be disposed at least in part about the cable 10 adjacent the seat block 15. The supply coil 20 may be turned about the cable 10 for a few convolutions adjacent the seat black 15 with the remainder of the supply coil hanging freely, but in most instances as shown in the drawing it is preferred to thread the cable 10 through the full length of the supply coil 20 before the wrapping operation of the tool is commenced.

With the cable 10 located in the groove 18, the remaining principal elements of the tool serve as guide means for directing the wire 12 relative to the cylindrical body member 13 from the supply coil 20 tangentially onto the cable from that direction in which lateral displacement of the cable is prevented by the wall 19 of the groove 18. In general, there are four parts to this guide means, the first of which is an aperture 22 formed through the side wall of the groove 18 opposite the wall 19 at the end portion of the groove adjacent the supply coil 20. The aperture 22 is an open-ended notch rather than an annular hole in the wall of the groove in this particular embodiment of the tool. At least one side of the aperture 22 is angled as shown in FIG. 1 because in operation the wire 12 is to be pulled under tension from the supply coil 20 at an angle about the block 13 in a counterclockwise direction as seen in FIG. 2.

The guide means also includes another aperture 23 in the seat block 15 which is formed through the opposite side wall 19 of the groove 18 at the other end portion thereof remote from the supply coil. As shown most clearly in FIG. 1, the aperture 23 is substantially larger than the aperture 22 and it also opens at an angle to receive the wire 12 at various directions of entry as the wire is pulled around the cylindrical body member 13 in a counterclockwise direction as viewed in FIG. 2. Again, the aperture is in the form of an open-ended notch in the seat block 15 rather than an annular hole in this particular embodiment.

Pitch-adjustment means are included in the guide means to control the pitch or helix angle of the wire 12 as it passes around the cylindrical body member 15 onto the cable 10. This is achieved by an adjustment member 25 which is screw-threaded into a tapped bore 26 disposed longitudinally in the body member 13 parallel to its axis. The adjustment member has a knurled end 27 for easy manual positioning in the bore 26. As shown in FIGS. 2 and 4, a longitudinal slot 29 extends from the bore 26 to the surface of the body member 13 circumferentially closer to the second aperture 23 than to the first aperture 22, A forked member 30 is rotatably mounted by means of a tubular base portion 31 on a smaller end portion 32 of the adjustment member 25 within the bore 26. The forked member 30 projects through the slot 29 from the surface of the body member 13 through the longitudinal slot 29 to receive the wire 12. By turning the adjustment member 25 into or out of the bore 26, the forked member can be translated to various selective positions along the length of the body member 13 to vary the angle at which the wire 12 is drawn onto the cable 10. This in turn determines the pitch or helix angle of the turns 11 applied to the cable 10.

The guide means also includes means for adjusting the tightness of and ironing out the turns 11 on the cable 10.

This includes a channel 34 formed longitudinally along the body member 13 substantially opposite the slot 29. One end 35 of a substantially C-shaped clamp member 36 is slidably located in this channel 34. At its other end portion 37 the clamp member extends over the seat block 15, and by adjusting the clamp member end 35 appropriately in the groove 34 the end portion 37 may be aligned with that point in the groove 18 where the wire 12 passes through the aperture 23 onto the cable It). An adjustable post 38 is threaded through the end portion 37 of the clamp member 36 with one faced-off end 39 projecting into the groove 18 adjacent the aperture 23 in position to force the first turn 11 of the wire 12 against the cable 10. A wing nut 40 on the end of the post 38 permits it to be moved into and out of position manually.

In operation, the supply coil 20 of the fiat Wire 12 is disposed in whole or in part about the cable as shown for example in FIG. 1. The body member 13 of the tool, with the clamp member 36 removed therefrom, is then moved against the cable 10 so that the cable is fitted Within the groove 18 in the seat block 15. The wire 12 is then pulled at one end from its supply coil 20 through the aperture 22 and around the seat block 13 in a counterclockwise direction as viewed in FIG. 2. It passes through the forked member 30 and through the aperture 23 onto the cable 10. One or two convolutions of the wire 12 may be applied to the cable 10 in a conventional manner by hand until it is possible to squeeze the very end of the wire 12 against the cable 10, for example by means of pliers. The clamp member 36 is then inserted at its end 35 into the groove 34 so that the end portion 37 of the clamp member extends directly over the point where the wire 12 first engages the cable 10. By means of the wing nut 40, the post 38 is then turned into the groove 18 until the faced-off end 39 of the post presses the wire 12 against the cable 10. The operator then merely commences to twist the entire tool around the cable 10 in a clockwise direction as seen in FIG. 2. As this is done, the wire 12 is pulled from the supply coil 20 through the first aperture 22 and is guided by the forked member 30 helically around the body member -13 through the second aperture 23 and beneath the faced-off end 39 of the post 38 where it is wrapped helically about the cable. After a few turns 11 are tightly applied in this manner, it is no longer necessary to hold the starting end of the wire 12 against the cable 10 by any separate means such as pliers as mentioned above because the turns 11 will anchor themselves.

To vary the pitch or helix angle of the turns 11 applied to the cable 10, the forked member 30 is moved longitudinally along the body member 13 by means of the adjustment member 25. By turning the adjustment member 25 out of its bore 26 to the right as viewed in FIG. 1, the forked member 30 moves to the right and lessens the pitch or helix angle of the turns 11 applied to the cable 10. Conversely, movement of the forked member 30 to the left as seen in FIG. 1 increases the pitch of the turns 11. In order to vary the tightness of the turns 11 about the cable 10, the. force of the post 38 against the wire 12 and cable 10 is adjusted by means of the Wing nut 40. When the post 38 is turned more firmly into the groove 18, the drag thereby imparted on the wire 12 during rotation of the tool causes the wire to be turned more tightly about the cable 10. This also causes the adjustable post 38 to iron out the Wire 12 as it is applied to the cable 10 and to imbed the turns 11 into the stranded cable construction.

I claim:

1. A tool for wrapping wire about an elongated ob ect comprising:

(A) a body member having a substantially cylindrical surface;

(B) a seat block fastened to said body member and defining a longitudinal open-ended groove in which said elongated object may be disposed to prevent substantial lateral displacement and to allow axial rotation of said elongated object relative to said body member;

(C) a supply coil of said wire movable together with said body member; and

(D) guide means for directing said wire relative to said body member from said supply and around said elongated object comprising (i) an aperture through a side wall of said groove at one end portion thereof, and

(ii) pitch-adjustment means comprising a movable member longitudinally adjustable to selec tive positions along said body member removed from said seat block and through which said Wire is guided,

(E) whereby as said body member is rotated around said elongated object said wire is drawn from the supply coil thereof and is guided by said movable member helically around said body member through said aperture where it is wrapped helically about said elongated object.

2. A tool for wrapping flat wire about a cable comprising:

(A) a substantially cylindrical body member;

(B) a seat block fastened to said body member and defining a longitudinal open-ended groove in which a length of said cable may be disposed to prevent substantial lateral displacement and to allow axial rotation of said cable relative to said body member;

(C) a supply coil of said fiat wire movable together with said body member; and

(D) guide means for directing said wire relative to said body member from said supply and around said cable comprising (i) an aperture through a side wall of said groove at one end portion thereof,

(ii) pitch-adjustment means comprising a forked member longitudinally movable to selective positions along said body member removed from said seat block and through which said wire is guided, and

(iii) tightness-adjustment means comprising an adjustable post movable with respect to said body member into said groove adjacent said aperture in position to force said flat wire against said cable;

(E) whereby as said body member is rotated around said cable said flat Wire is drawn from the supply coil thereof and is guided by said forked member helically around said body member through said aperture and beneath the end of said post Where it is wrapped helically about said cable.

3. A tool for Wrapping flat wire about a cable comprising:

(A) a substantially cylindrical body member;

(B) a seat block fastened to said body member and defining a longitudinal open-ended groove in which a length of said cable may be disposed to prevent substantial lateral displacement and to allow axial rotation of said cable relative to said body member;

(C) a helical supply coil of said fiat wire disposable about said cable adjacent said seat block; and

(D) guide means for directing said wire relative to said body member from said supply coil and around said cable comprising (i) an aperture through a side wall of said groove at the end portion thereof remote from the supply coil,

(ii) pitch-adjustment means comprising (a) an adjustment member longitudinally movable on said body member, and

(b) a forked member mounted on and translatable with said adjustment member and projecting from said body member to receive said wire,

(iii) tightness-adjustment means comprising (a) a clamp member attached to said body member and extending over the groove in said seat block, and

(b) an adjustable post movable through said clamp with one end projecting into said groove adjacent said second aperture in position to force said fiat wire against said cable;

(E) whereby as said body member is rotated around said cable said fiat wire is drawn from the supply coil thereof and is guided by said forked member helically around said body member through said aperture and beneath the end of said post where it is wrapped helically about said cable.

4. A tool for wrapping flat wire about a cable comprising:

(A) a substantially cylindrical body member;

(B) a seat block fastened to a flat along said body member and defining a longitudinal open-ended groove in which a length of said cable may be disposed to prevent substantial lateral displacement and to allow axial rotation of said cable relative to said body member;

(C) a helical supply coil of said flat wire disposable about said cable adjacent said seat block; and

(D) guide means for directing said wire relative to said body member from said supply coil and around said cable comprising (i) a first aperture through one side wall of said groove at the end portion thereof adjacent the supply coil,

(ii) a second aperture through the other side wall of said groove at the end portion thereof remote from the supply coil, (iii) pitch-adjustment means comprising (a) an adjustment member screw-threaded in a longitudinal tapped bore in said body member,

(b) a longitudinal slot extending from said bore to the surface of said body member circumferentially closer to said second aperture than said first aperture, and

(c) a forked member rotatably mounted on and translatable with said adjustment member and projecting from said body member through said longitudinal slot to receive said wire,

(iv) tightness-adjustment means comprising (a) a clamp member removably attached to said body member and extending over the groove in said seat block, and

(b) an adjustable post threaded through said clamp with one end projecting into said groove adjacent said second aperture in position to force said flat wire against said cable;

(E) whereby as said body member is rotated around said cable said flat wire is drawn from the supply coil thereof through said first aperture and is guided by said forked member helically around said body member through said second aperture and beneath the end of said post where it is wrapped helically about said cable.

5. A tool according to claim 4 wherein said body member is of hard plastic material, said seat block is of metal and the groove therein faces away from said body memher, said second aperture is larger than said first aperture, and said clamp member is substantially C-shaped with one end slideably located in a channel in said body member.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,367,811 2/1921 Grams 57-3 1,526,572 2/ 1925 Ten Eyck 57-3 1,639,146 8/1927 Pettengill 5718 2,266,438 12/1941 Nelson 5718 MERVIN STEIN, Primary Examiner. D. E. WATKINS, Assistant Examiner. 

1. A TOOL FOR WRAPPING WIRE ABOUT AN ELONGATED OBJECT COMPRISING: (A) A BODY MEMBER HAVING A SUBSTANTIALLY CYLINDRICAL SURFACE; (B) A SEAT BLOCK FASTENED TO SAID BODY MEMBER AND DEFINING A LONGITUDINAL OPEN-ENDED GROOVE IN WHICH SAID ELONGATED OBJECT MAY BE DISPOSED TO PREVENT SUBSTANTIAL LATERAL DISPLACEMENT AND TO ALLOW AXIAL ROTATION OF SAID ELONGATED OBJECT RELATIVE TO SAID BODY MEMBER; (C) A SUPPLY COIL OF SAID WIRE MOVABLE TOGETHER WITH SAID BODY MEMBER; AND (D) GUIDE MEANS FOR DIRECTING SAID WIRE RELATIVE TO SAID BODY MEMBER FROM SAID SUPPLY AND AROUND SAID ELONGATED OBJECT COMPRISING (I) AN APERTURE THROUGH A SIDE WALL OF SAID GROOVE AT ONE END PORTION THEREOF, AND (II) PITCH-ADJUSTMENT MEANS COMPRISING A MOVABLE MEMBER LONGITUDINALLY ADJUSTABLE TO SELECTIVE POSITIONS ALONG SAID BODY MEMBER REMOVED FROM SAID SEAT BLOCK AND THROUGH WHICH SAID WIRE IS GUIDED, (E) WHEREBY AS SAID BODY MEMBER IS ROTATED AROUND SAID ELONGATED OBJECT SAID WIRE IS DRAWN FROM THE SUPPLY COIL THEREOF AND IS GUIDED BY SAID MOVABLE MEMBER HELICALLY AROUND SAID BODY MEMBER THROUGH SAID APERTURE WHERE IT IS WRAPPED HELICALLY ABOUT SAID ELONGATED OBJECT. 